Icons Of The Island

30"x24" | Oil on Panel | Framed

With the rapid expansion of air travel, Hawaii became a much desired destination. Beginning in 1929, the flying boats of Inter-Island Airways provided a safe, quick and convenient solution to visit the different islands. The service evolved to become Hawaiian Air, forever changing tourism, business and family connections across vast stretches of the Pacific. Depicted is an Inter-Island Airways Sikorsky S-43, ship No.7, sometime in the late 1930s, perhaps inbound from Hilo, on a ‘sightseeing’ approach past Waikiki Beach into John Rodgers Field (now HNL) Below, an outrigger canoe, typical of those used in these waters for centuries, races back to the beach. And beyond, Diamond Head, the eternal landmark guiding travelers to and from the island since the arrival of the first voyagers.   Fun fact… this actual aircraft now rests in Tucson, Arizona at the Pima Air Museum.

HAL